The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-09-29
JUST HIS LUCK.

"Ihar may he nothin' in luck" said old
man Plunket, "but thars some mighty strange
things happens in this world
II knowed that thar fellow what Just rid by
here erwhile ago when he was err boy, and
knowed him all erlong through life to the
present time, and it was said that he was the
smartest boy in the settlement and when he
was er young man it was said he was the
luckiest fellow in the settlement, and it
did look like luck to me- for he never turned
his hand to anything when he first started
out in life but what it was sure to turn out
well and make him money, and fore he
was % years old he'd bought two likely
niggers and had his farm well stocked.
But he amt got no farm now and he amt got
nothin' else, and its because his luck changed.
His name is Jasper Green"
Plunket stopped to take a chew of Browns
tobacco, and then continued:
"Thar's Squire Simmons, who lives yonder
where you see that fine barn, was Just the
same age of Jasper Green, and they war
raised boys together, and while everybody
said that Jasper was smart and lucky, they
had to say that Squire was er fool and the
unluckiest cuss that was ever allowed to live
at ALL"
Old man Brown agreed with Plunket and
stated that he remembered the raising of both
boys, and "it was just that way"
esquire Simmons was er green one," con-
tinued old man Plunket, sand when remem-
Der how he used to git GROUND in his coperas
britches and jeans jacket at the parties in the
settlement can't tell how he ever did turn
out like he has, er how he ever got the woman
for er wife that he has got"
Gle got her." said old man Brown, land he
had Jasper Green ergin him, for Jasper
wanted the same girl, and the girls father
and her old aunt, that lived erlong with 'em,
were agin Squire, too, and called him er fool,
and unlucky and gauky, and the old man
swore he should never have her, and told him
to never darken his door ergin. Her maiden
name was Lula Bright"
"Well you see," said old man Plunket,
growing somewhat animated as the fountain
of memories began to stir; II know
all erbout the whole business Old man
Bright had watched Lula and Squire
erlong time and he seed that she was always
ertaking up for him, and he seed that Squire
thought more of Lula than he did of anybody
else, and he took to trying to bring him out
and make something of him, but old Bright
got disguised with Squirrels awkward ways,
and then he went to work and tried to git his
girl disguised too, but he couldn't.
"The first thing that old man Bright done
for Squire, to kinder bring him out, was to
give him young horse, for Squire's dada
was drunkard and never did have nothing
to help any of his children with Squire got
the young horse home and him and his dada
turned in and broke him to work to er little
old one horse wagin what they had, but he
was as wild as a buck, and one day while
they war passing erlong, Squire driving and
the old man walking erlong with his gun
looking out for er turkey, they met three or
four boys of the settlement and one Of 'em
was Jasper, and they would have Squire to
stop and talk er while, and as he stopped the
old man didn't go very far till he set down
on er rock, and Jasper hadn't been GROUND
the horse long till he seed how skitish he was
of strangers, and so he'd just shuttle his foot
on the ground little and the horse would
shy, and Squire was busy talking to the other
boys and didn't take no notice Of what was
going on, till Jasper, Citing er little closer
and closer to the horse, all at once give big
shuttle on the ground and out jumped the
horse down the road, kicking and er fyin,
and the old man was terribly excited and
Jasper lowed to him:
"'Shoot the horse shoot the horse, he'll kill
your son. and the old fool blazed erway and
down he fotch him. They skint the horse,
put the skin in the wagin, and the old man
and Squire took hold and were pulling the
wagin Oh back home, when who should they
meet but old Bright
"'Hellor said old man Bright; where's
your horseg
"'Thar's what's left of him. said Squire's
dada, pointing to the hide.
"Whent the people in the settlement hered
of it they all said, Just his luck, just his
luck But Lula she cried when she hered
erbout it, and old Bright didn't like it, and
he thought he'd give Jasper another young
horse what he had there and see how he'd
come out with 'em, and maybe Lula would
see the difference in the two fellows and be-
come disguised with Squire. So old Bright
he didn't let on, but he gave the horse to Jas
per, and the first thing anybody knowed he
had him broke and was cutting shines round
the settlement, riding out the girls and hav-
ing er fine time. Old man Bright let it run
on this way for some time, till at last he
called his daughter to him and pointed out
the difference in the two young men, citing
the horses as an example. Lula she Just
cried and went erlong, and Jasper he'd ride
over in his buggy to see the Brights, and
Squire he'd walk over to see em, and old
man Bright thought he'd done the very
best thing he could have done to break up
the attachment that was evident between his
daughter and Squire.
"After that" continued old man Plunket,
II remember that one day the two young
men han"cn-, - meet NJ old man Bright's,
and the Old man ueu got some fine seed corn
from off somewhere, and as it was corn plant
ing time he give the young fellows an equal
humber of grains, and they were to plant in
a rich spot and git in the seed of it. Jasper
he went home and fixed his ground up well
and planted his grains, and it warn't no great
while before the corn was up and looking fine
Squire he went home and picked out rich
spot just back Of his mama's garden and fixed
his ground and laid off his burrows and then
took his corn and went erlong and dropped
the grains, Intending to cover when he got
through dropping, when TO- as he dropped the
last grain and Strengthened himself and
turned, he seed that an old rooster had been
right behind him all the time and picked I'D
the grains as fast as he had dropped 'em, and
people, when they hered of it, just lowed it's
his luck, it's his luck, and it looked that way
to me.
"When old man Bright" continued old man
Plunket Hseed that nothin else would do he |